Collections Highlights – Mano, Metate, and Soaproot brush

Mano, Metate, and Soaproot brush

The mano is a hand stone used for grinding foods, while the metate is a flat stone with a concave top surface. The mano and metate work together as a mortar and pestle and are used to grind acrons, seeds, and other items in food preparation. The soaproot brush is used to clean the metate and other cookware. These objects were featured in Tevaaxa’nga (Te-vaah-ha-nga) to Today: Stories of the Tongva People, an exhibit celebrating the history and culture of the Tongva (Gabrielino); the first people to inhabit the land that would eventually become Rancho Los Cerritos. Link to the exhibit